Trollhunters: Flesh and Stone
by sonicking2004
Summary: On their way to escort their troll friends to New Jersey, where Merlin heard news of a new living heartstone that they could use to build themselves a new home, Jim Lake and Claire Nunez come across a curious trio with a most tempting proposal. Can their words be trusted? Can they survive what strange adventures await them on a detour to New York City? (Follows Frozen: The Rift)
1. Chapter 1: A Helping hand?

**A Helping Hand?**

Lying on his back in the shade of the tree, taking a well earned rest after walking all night to lead the trolls to this shady glade, Jim Lake could not believe just how incredibly lucky he was. When he had taken Merlin's magic potion and immersed himself in it, well aware that the changes it would bring would be permanent, he figured that meant he would be leaving behind everyone he knew and loved forever. Much to his surprise, when he had to leave with the trolls to find a new Heartstone, his girlfriend Claire Nuñez offered to go with him. With her clever use of the satellite view of Google Maps she was not only able to help them avoid contact with humans who might not be as understanding as those from his hometown of Arcadia Oaks, but she was able to plot a route that allowed them to safely reach shelter where they would be safe from the sun before it rose in the morning and seriously harmed and/or killed them all (except for Claire, who of course was still human.) Even better was how she looked as though she still cared for him, like she wasn't repulsed his appearance despite how he was now half-troll. Looking up at her as she cradled his head in her lap, her eyes shining as she smiled down at him, he could almost forget that he wasn't entirely human anymore. Almost.

"A tale as old as time," Jim mused dreamily.

"What?" Claire asked him, not wholly able to suppress her surprised chuckle.

"I just cannot help but wonder," Jim clarified, "I find it strange and confusing, pleasantly so I might add, that such a capable beauty such as yourself would willingly choose to remain with a dumb beast like me."

"Come on, Jim," Claire playfully scolded him with a swat to the top of his head, which he only felt because it ruffled his hair, "you're NOT a dumb beast."

"You kidding me?" Jim asked her, keeping his tone light, "You see these fangs, these paws? All I need is a healthy coat of fur and a full-length cape and I bet Disney would have been scouting me for the live-action adaptation of their movie about Stockholm Syndrome."

"Not true," Claire disagreed, her playful smile still on her lips, "You'd also need to be able to sing. You definitely showed some acting chops in our play, but the moment you let a note escape your lips I bet those scouts would be running for the hills!"

Aware that he was being teased Jim turned his head to look at her again, narrowing his eyes (though he couldn't wipe the huge grin off his face) as he asked, "Oh? Is that so?"

"Don't forget: I had the misfortune of listening to you sing to me during my mother's fundraising barbecue," Claire told him as she stood up, then she began to reenact the crooning his "lovey-dovey" clone (produced by his amulet when it had the Aspectus stone inserted in it) had performed that day, much to his embarrassment.

Flipping himself over and resting his weight on all fours, Jim felt a low growl from within his chest as, grinning ear to ear, he said to her, "Claire Nuñez, you asked for it, and now you're gonna get it!"

With a squeal of delight Claire spun and sprinted off into the glade. Jim felt an urge to start right off after her, but he held himself back as he wanted to give her a sporting head start.

"8…. **9…. _10!_** " Jim said aloud just before sprinting after her with inhuman speed. However, even though he caught up to her rather quickly he found himself hard pressed to actually catch her. While she no longer had the Skrathe-Hrün, having sacrificed it to seal Morgana Le Fay in the Shadow Realm forever, it was clear that her time training to use it served to greatly increase her agility and reflexes. Every time he got close to actually grabbing her Claire would duck, twist, or jump out of the way at the last second, leaving him a couple yards past her and clutching at nothing but air. At one point, when Claire ran straight into a knot of trees that had grown too close together, Jim was sure that he had her. However, just as Jim sprang at her Claire performed a backflip, pressing off his shoulders with her hands for greater distance, and the momentum he would have used to tackle her to the ground instead sent him crashing headlong into that knot of trees with such force that one of the skinnier saplings snapped where he impacted and toppled over backwards. It didn't hurt, not really, and he flipped over onto his back to give Claire a sheepish smile.

Just as he was about to concede defeat, however, saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye just before being blinded by an intense burning pain that almost blocked out everything else. It felt like his left hand and forearm were on fire! So great was the pain that he barely noticed Claire calling his name and didn't even know she was there until she tackled him to the side. Almost immediately the burning sensation faded away, though he still felt a hard, throbbing ache in his arm. "Oooh, ahhh! Just….just hold still, Jim," he heard Clair say, concern and sympathetic pain evident in her voice. A short moment later he felt something cool and creamy being rubbed on his hand and on his arm just under his armor. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, Jim saw Claire applying a burn cream on his hand (which looked as though it was severely sunburnt) before she went back to her Infinite Bag of Holding that Merlin created for her shortly after their departure from home and pulled out a roll of gauze and some medical tape. "I just wish I could get this armor off you so I could treat this properly," she added, "Thank goodness I took that first aid extra curricular my sophomore year."

"I wish I could get this armor off too," Jim groaned in agreement, "I don't even want to think about how I smell under it. I'm just glad I haven't felt the need to use the restroom since my transformation."

"I'm so sorry about this, Jim," Claire said remorsefully as she wrapped his hand in gauze, "it's my fault you got hurt like this."

Following with his eyes the beam of sunlight that had done the damage, Jim saw that his Sword of Eclipse had flown off his back when he crashed into the trees and landed just outside the glade, reflecting the sunlight back into this shaded area. "No, this is entirely my fault, Claire," Jim disagreed as he summoned his blade back to his hand, "I'm the dumb idiot who didn't secure my equipment before our impromptu game of tag."

"Stop that!" Claire yelled in frustration, her exclamation punctuated with a sudden tightening of the gauze around his hand which caused him to hiss in pain. "Sorry, sorry!" Claire hastily apologized, "I just wish you would stop putting yourself down so much. You are NOT and idiot!"

"Yeah? Tell that to Vendel, to Draal," Jim countered, "Tell that to all the innocent trolls Gunmar turned into his Gumm-Gumm army, or to the survivors here who lost their home and now have to march clear across America to find themselves another one."

"None of that was your fault!" Claire protested, but Jim shook his head as he argues, "I am the Trollhunter. THE Trollhunter. You and Toby might have chosen to help me out with your mystical objects, for which I'll be forever grateful, but it was my sacred duty to keep Gunmar from escaping the Darklands. I failed to do so, and because of that he enslaved then killed Draal, Queen Usurna killed Vendel, Morgana escaped….you get the idea."

"But that wasn't your fault, it was ours," Clair disagreed, "Me, Toby, Blinky, Aarghh and yes, even Draal. We all were warned that attempting to rescue you could result in Gunmar getting free, we decided that you were worth the risk. Besides, you defeated Gunmar in the end."

"For all the good that did for the trolls he enslaved," Jim countered, "Besides, I couldn't defeat Morgana. My big idea for defeating the immortal sorceress was impaling her with my sword. If it weren't for you, the risk you took, the sacrifice you made, we would all be Morgana's slaves or worse."

"I couldn't have done that if you hadn't saved me first, back when Morgana hijacked my body and imprisoned my soul in the Shadow Realm," Claire told him fondly, "I would have spent the rest of eternity caring for an illusion of Enrique and studying for an exam that was never to come if you didn't come for me, so thank you."

Jim couldn't help but smile at that, and at that moment he very much wanted to kiss her. As he reached out for Claire, though, Jim caught sight of his bandaged hand and the burned skin underneath, and he turned away again as Claire said, "Jim? What's wrong?"

"Claire, what are we doing?" Jim asked her dejectedly, "Pretending like everything's normal when we both know that it's not?"

"James Lake Jr., for as long as I've known you our lives have been far from 'normal'," Clare told him and a jovial tone, obviously trying to lighten up the mood though Jim could still see the worry in her eyes, "I mean I spent a good part of last year pretending that a changeling was my brother so my parents wouldn't worry until you rescued my real brother from the Darklands."

"You know what I mean, Claire," Jim retorted, shrugging her hand off his shoulder as he stood and strode to the edge of the shade provided by the glade, "Even if our lives were filled with daily strangeness we at least were human. Now I can't even be within reflected sunlight without ending up with the world's worst sunburn. What would happen if I were to step out there now? Would I turn to stone? Turn to dust? Would I suffer fatal third-degree burns?"

"Jim…" he heard Claire call out to him sympathetically from behind him, though she didn't try to touch him again.

"Even if we eventually find a way to remove my armor who knows if I can have a family the way I am now," Jim continued, "Besides, we know exactly two places that I can be accepted: one is back in Arcadia Oaks, the other is the new home we're taking the trolls to. Everywhere else I'd most likely be treated like a monster. Not to mention that I wouldn't be able to go out with you anywhere, not during the day at least, and I can't keep you with me underground. What kind of life would that be?"

"Jim, are you….are you saying you want to break up with me?" Jim heard Claire ask him, her voice cracking with emotion halfway through before she was able to regain composure.

"Yes. No! I don't know!" Jim tried to answer her, though his head was as muddled as his turbulent emotions. Mr. Strickler tried to explain how difficult it would be to manage the emotional states of both his human and troll halves simultaneously, but what advice he'd been able to offer turned out to be woefully inadequate. Clutching his head, Jim continued, "I just…I just don't know what to do from here."

"Poor young warrior," a voice Jim had never heard before echoed through the glade. It sounded female, yet seemed so ancient that it made his hair stand on end. Jim was sure that if he was still 100% human that goosebumps would be breaking out over every inch of his body. As it was he couldn't help allowing a low snarl to escape from his lips as he held the Sword of Eclipse before him while he was searching for the voice's source as it said, "Not quite human, not quite troll, totally unsure as to who he is."

"Not really fitting in either society he seeks to render himself alone, but his heart isn't ready to let go in spite of what his head tells it," a second female, and equally old, voice chimed in, but Jim had yet to find the first speaker as he saw Claire behind him pick up a long branch and hold it before her in a battle-ready position.

"Certainly noble, yet wholly unnecessary," a third ancient female voice added, "particularly when there is someone who can help him get back a bit of what he has lost."

"Who's out there?" Jim called out, certain that it wasn't any of their troll companions, "Show yourselves!"

"There's no need to speak with such menace, young one," the first voice said again as the speaker, an old crone with long raven hair, materialized before him and Claire along with two others, one with silver hair and one that was blonde. That's the best way that Jim was able to describe it, for he was certain that he and Claire had been alone in this part of the glade while Blinky and the others were resting in the deeper, more shadowy heart of it. Yet here these three incredibly old women were now, stepping out of the shadows of the trees before them as if they'd always been here. Other than the color of their hair they looked rather identical to each other, each holding before them an equally weathered waling stick and wearing rough, brown hooded robes like a group of hobos living in an alley. Or like the trio of witches from the Macbeth play Claire starred in what seems like a lifetime ago.

"We are not your enemies," the silver haired one told them.

"We're just trying to help you," the blond woman added.

"Just who are you ladies?" Claire asked them, placing a steadying hand on Jim's shoulder though (thankfully) still holding her branch in her other hand.

"We have had many names," the raven haired one said, rather evasively in Jim's opinion, "Some more flattering than others."

"We were around when you humans were struggling to survive in caves," the one with silver hair expounded.

"We witnessed as you formed the first nations and as you discovered magic," the blond continued.

"We were here when you tossed magic aside, foolishly declaring that it doesn't exist, and turned to science instead," the raven hair added rather contemptuously.

"And assuming that you have not foolishly destroyed this world in the process, we will be here long after you're gone," the silver hair finished for them.

"So you ladies have been around for a long time, like Merlin?" Jim asked them, growing interested in spite of himself.

The raven hair huffed with contempt as she said, "Merlin is but a child compared to us."

"Much as your own grandparents are children compared to Merlin," the silver hair continued.

"We've forgotten more about magic than the old wizard will ever know," the blond agreed.

"So you're saying that you could, what, turn me human again?" Jim asked them, both suspicious and reluctant to allow himself to hope that it's possible.

"At one time such a feat was possible for us, yes," raven hair answered.

"But our patriarch has recently expressly forbidden us to intervene in human affairs," silver hair clarified.

"But we do know who can help you achieve your wish and where you can find him," Blond hair assured him." blond hair assured him.

"Really? Who?" Claire asked them.

"You must go to the great city of New York." "To the island of Manhattan." "There, atop the tallest building…" "…you will find an man named Owen Burnett." "Of those with the ability to grant you what you seek…" "…he would be the least likely to deny you or to demand too steep a price." "As it will be a great practice spell for his young charge to learn" The three crones explained in tandem with one another.

As Claire looked up the information in Google Maps, Jim glared at the three and said, "We're already looking at a 900 hour cross-country hike, that's over three months one way with us travelling only at night, just to reach the Heartstone that's supposedly in Jersey, and you want us to go even further out of our way on what may be a wild goose chase?"

"There's no need for you to walk there, young warrior," the raven hair answered him.

"Your sorceress companion behind you can take you straight there," the silver hair explained further.

"Uh, no I can't!" Claire countered, "I'm no sorceress, okay?"

"But of course you are, little one," the raven hair disagreed.

"You wrested control of the Skrathe-Hrün from Morgana Le Fay even while she was actively commanding it," the silver hair continued.

"You defeated her in a one-on-one duel and banished her to the Shadow Realm," the blond hair added.

"These aren't the feats of a neophyte practitioner, young sorceress," the three crones said simultaneously.

"Look, that all sounds great when you say it like that, but even it I hadn't destroyed the shadow staff in order to ensure that Morgana remains trapped in the Shadow Realm, the last time I created a portal that large for that long it nearly killed me," Claire explained to them, "What's more is that it allowed Morgana to kick my soul to the Shadow Realm while she took my body for a joyride, and by that I mean that she tried to use it to kill my boyfriend. I'm not exactly looking to hand the keys over to her again anytime soon."

The three crones looked at each other for a moment before the silver haired one hand out to Claire and gently said, "Hand me your staff, young one."

Claire looked in confusion between the branch she was holding and the three crones as she asked, "You mean my walking stick?" After they nodded yes Claire handed it over. The crones then gathered in a huddle with the branch between them and started murmuring softly, and Jim could have sworn he saw some light flare up between them before the parted and faced them again. Much to Jim's amazement the branch they were handing back looked radically transformed: it was smoother and straighter, its color much brighter, almost a translucent white that seemed glow within this shade. In fact it almost looked like the staff Gandalf had when he returned to Aragorn and the others as Gandalf the White.

"You will find that this staff will be much more agreeable to you than Morgana's, young sorceress," The silver hair crone said as Claire took the staff from her.

"It operates very similarly to the Skrathe-Hrün with one key difference," the blond hair informed her, "It's powered by light magic, which is fueled by your positive emotions, so you won't have to worry about it corrupting your soul and allowing Morgana a foothold again."

"We even gave it a boost the first time you use it, so you can create a portal large enough for your friends to travel though without straining yourself," the raven hair added, "Not to mention that we preselected a destination for that first use that puts you fairly close to where Owen is while allowing your friends to hide while you seek him out."

"I….I don't know what to say," Claire admitted as she hugged her new staff to her chest before she told them, "Thank you."

"Wait, isn't this kinda 'intervening in human affairs', you guys doing this?" Jim asked them, spotting a hole in their logic.

"Not at all," the raven hair disagreed, "We just gave her the ability to truly realize her full potential."

"So that she might help you realize yours," the silver hair added.

"Whether either, both, or neither takes advantage of the opportunity presented you is entirely your decision."

"But why are you doing this?" Jim asked them, not wholly able to shake off his suspicion as their offer is too tempting, "just what is in it for you anyways?"

"Our reasons are our own and likely too complex for such short-lived creatures like you to grasp anyways," the raven hair told him.

"Suffice it to say that we wish to do what we can to repay a debt we owe someone," the silver hair clarified.

"And we wish to help another repay their debt as well," the blond hair added.

"You said earlier that this Owen is the "least likely" to turn us down," Claire asked them, "but what if he does anyway."

"It's highly doubtful that he will turn you down outright," raven hair countered.

"But should he prove reluctant just call him by his true name and tell him who sent you his way," silver hair told them.

"That should break through his misgivings and convince him to help you," blond hair finished for them.

"Owen isn't his true name?" Jim asked them, "Then what is it?"

The silver haired crone approached him and grasped his bandaged hand between both of hers, which felt rather pleasingly warm, for a second before the three answered all together, "Puck." the silver hair then released his hand and stepped away.

"Puck….puck…" Jim mused for a moment, then as it came to him he said, "Wait, you don't mean Puck from 'A Midsumm-'…just where they go?"

Jim and Claire looked all around them, but the three crones were nowhere to be found. In fact the only sign that they had been there in the first place was the white staff Claire was still holding onto. Feeling the tingle in his bandaged hand begin to fade Jim began to unwrap it gently and found, to his shock and surprise, that it was fully healed. Was he simply a fast healer? Was it due to Claire's attending to it? Or did those ladies do something that made it heal faster?

"So….what do you think, Claire?" Jim finally asked her, breaking the silence that had been thickening around them, "You think that we should trust them?"

"I don't know. It does sound rather too good to be true," Claire admitted, "But even if that stuff about you becoming human again proves to be a red herring the fact is that New York and New Jersey are only 13 hours away on foot, and about an hour drive. I think that once we get to New York we should be able to rent a couple of moving trucks to get them to Jersey quickly and safely, but even if we're not allowed or able the trolls should still be capable of hanging out under the bridge that separates them. Since it's your life we're talking about though, Jim, I think the decision should be yours."

"I-I see," Jim said, nodding his acknowledgement as he sat down, unsheathing his blade and looking at his reflection as he thought to himself. Could it be that Merlin was wrong, that it is possible for him to regain the life as a human he'd given up in order to save his family and friends? Or was the words those crones whispered in his ears false, just a cruel practical joke they were playing on him or, even worse, the bait to a trap set for him and/or his friends. As much as he wanted to just play it safe those women had picked the one temptation he might not be able to turn down. Which course was the right course for him to take?


	2. Chapter 2: Good Knight, Big Apple

**Good Knight, Big Apple!**

"Good melanudrigill those two are sure taking their time out there," Merlin groused as he paced back and forth over the same patch of earth.

Blinkous Galadrigal, or Blinky as he's known to those who call the loquacious troll 'friend', said, "Relax, won't you Merlin? They had been walking all night to guide us safely to this glade, they deserve some time to themselves. There's some a couple hours till sundown, I'm sure that they'll be back well before then, and Claire will no doubt have a new route for us."

"But we should be doing more than travelling at night and resting during the day," Merlin argued, "Jim ought to be using this downtime to keep his skills sharp, not wasting it making out with his girlfriend."

"Ha! You sound just like Hunter Jim!" Blinky retorted.

"That does not make me wrong," Merlin countered, "And the fact that a part of him made flesh by the Aspectus Stone came to the same conclusion tells me that deep down Jim knows it too. Jim did well in defeating Gunmar the Skullcrusher, but he's far from the worst threat out there, and while Morgana is trapped in the Shadow Realm that doesn't mean that she's no longer a threat. I wouldn't doubt that she still has allies in this world, and as long as that holds true the threat of her release remains. The Trollhunter needs to be better prepared for when that eventuality comes if he wants to survive it, especially since Claire no longer has the Skrathe-Hrün to save him from her again."

"Now see here you old..." Blinky started to admonish him, but the rest was lost on his lips when Jim and Claire walked back into view. "Ah! Welcome back, Jim and Claire! Hope you had a good time?"

"Blinky, yes," Jim said as if he just realized the troll was there, "It was rather...enlightening."

Merlin might have been a little out of touch with the whole dating thing, with his last relationship having ended disastrously several millennia ago, but he doubted that "enlightening" would be an appropriate description of a date or "hangout session" as they say these days. What's more is that there seemed to be something different about Claire Nuñez that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

Just as he figured out what it was, Blinky called out, "You certainly seemed to have found yourself a fine walking stick, Claire. Not quite as nice as mine, mind you, but I must say that yours suits you quite well."

"Why, thank you!" Claire said just as Merlin thought to himself, _That's not a walking stick, you **moron**!_ Even from here he could feel the staff Claire was holding was practically humming with power. This was in contrast with the Skrathe-Hrün, which to Merlin seemed more like it was screaming, though it seemed much more tame (and strangely content) in Claire's hands than it had been in Morgana's. Indeed, he saw the potential in Claire from the moment he met her in person back in his tomb. He had been tempted to take her under his wing then, training her in magic while training Jim as the Trollhunter, but after being betrayed by his last apprentice (Morgana herself) he had swore that he would never take another. Even now, after Claire had risked her life to defeat Morgana, Merlin wasn't sure if he had enough trust in himself to take her on as an apprentice, though it probably wouldn't be any better if Claire were to train herself through experimentation as she might come across spells that she would not be ready for, that might corrupt her as much as his own failings corrupted Morgana. Still he had to wonder where she got this staff from. Had she been trained properly she could have charged one with her own power, and it was unlikely that she just happened to stumble across a magic staff simply lying around here in the middle of nowhere. That means that someone must have given it to her, but who, and why? Merlin was sure that he wouldn't like the answer.

"So I guess that we have where we're heading next ready, then?" Blinky asked, not picking up on any of the silent communications Merlin was sending through his eyes.

Jim and Claire looked at one another for a moment, then after Jim gave her a nod Claire turned back to Blinky and said, "We're going to New York City."

"New York City?" Nomura said in a confused tone, "But didn't Merlin say the heartstone is in New Jersey."

"It is, but New York and New Jersey are just a few hours apart from each other," Jim explained, "Once we arrive there we can get to New Jersey in just a night or two of travel, plus there are sewers and other tunnels that we can travel through during the day."

"But aren't we still a couple months away in that case, Claire?" Blinky asked her. Claire didn't answer, she simply gripped the staff with both hands as she closed her eyes and taking a slow breath. Then she tensed as an orb of light formed at the end of the staff just before she whipped it around and shot the light orb past their group where it exploded into a shadow portal.

"By Jove!" Blinky said in astonishment as Jim took the Sword of Eclipse in hand and announced, "I'll go check it out." He then steps into the portal, but even though everyone else kept their eyes on the portal their Trollhunter had passed through, Merlin kept his gaze fixed on Claire. He knew from what Blnky told him that the last time Claire had created a portal this size it had nearly killed her, that it was only though her friends sharing the burden that her life was spared, and yet her soul was still corrupted to the point that Morgana was able to get a foothold within her. That didn't surprise Merlin as the Skrathe-Hrün was powered by dark magic. This staff, wherever she had gotten it from, was apparently powered by light magic. The fact that it was able to create shadow portals as well didn't surprise Merlin either, as shadows were merely the meeting of darkness and light. What did surprise him, however, was the fact that Claire was able to maintain a portal this size for this long with no signs of strain whatsoever. Had she gotten that much stronger since she had used the Skrathe-Hrün to help the trolls not yet corrupted by Gunmar to escape Trollmarket, or had this staff been specially prepared for this exact purpose? Again Merlin feared that he already knew the answer and that he wouldn't like where it took him.

As Jim reemerged from the portal he called out, "It's clear, everyone! Let's go!" While the trolls walked through the portal Merlin, who could still his curiosity no longer, asked Jim and Claire, "That staff of yours, just how did you come by it?" The kids looked at each other for a second before Claire answered, Um, we….didn't exactly get their names. Sorry."

"Did you say 'their' names?" Merlin asked.

"Yeah. Three strange old women with black, silver, and blond hair. Liked to finish each other's sentences. Pretty odd, but we figured that their information was worth looking into," Jim explained, "Besides, this gets us that much closer to finding the heartstone, regardless of whether or not the lead pays off or not."

"Come on, Jim! Let's go!" Claire called out from over by the portal before entering it herself. As Jim started to follow, Merlin said to himself, "That description, could it be…?" The realization rocked him back on his heels as he exclaimed, "The Weird Sisters! Jim, wait!" However, Jim had already passed through the portal. His frustration reaching a peak, Merlin yelled, "Impetuous boy!" before stalking off to the portal as well.

* * *

Reemerging on the other side Merlin found himself in a dim, cavernous building. Of course the lack of light didn't hamper him in the slightest, having gave himself true-sight long ago, so he was able to make out the trolls milling about the stacks of boxes and dust-covered machinery as he heard Blinky ask, " So where are we presently?"

"Assuming our sudden trip hasn't thrown the calibration off on my phone's GPS, it would appear that we are in a warehouse in Manhattan's industrial district on the south-west edge of the isle," Merlin heard Claire answer, and as he honed in on the sound of her voice he thought he saw the glow from her phone-device.

" 'Manhattan'?" Blinky asked in obvious confusion was Merlin drew closer, "But I thought we were going someplace called 'New York City'?"

"And so we had," Claire replied, "Manhattan is one of five boroughs that make up New York City."

There was a beat of silence, during which Merlin thought he caught glimpses of Blinky looking rather stupefied, after which Jim explained, "It's a section of the city. Like a city within the city."

"This New York must be quite the place," Binky remarked in an impressed tone, "if it's grand enough to host a city within itself."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Jim responded, scratching at a spot on the back of his neck.

"James Lake Jr, tell me that you did not strike a bargain with the Weird Sisters!" Merlin called out as Jim came into view, trying to fasten a lid on his agitation so that he can speak rationally though he failed slightly as he pointed at Claire (who was holding her new staff as though she had been wielding it her entire life) and continued, "Tell me that you didn't get Claire involved with them!"

"Huh, 'Weird Sisters'?" Jim said in confusion, turning himself to face him, "Just what are you taking about?"

"I'm talking about those three 'old ladies' that Claire said she got her staff from," Merlin explained to him, "James, those eldritch creatures are not to be trusted! Even their appearance as old crones is a lie! No matter what they promised you, you will come to regret accepting their bargain mark my words. If you don't believe me just ask Demona or Macbeth, just ask anyone else that has dealt with them! Their 'deals' always end in misery for all who are involved…"

"Merlin, Merlin, just hold up," Jim interrupted as he held up a hand, "I don't know what you're getting so worked up about, but I didn't enter me or Claire into any deals. They simply gave me some information and gave Claire her staff, or rather changed a branch she'd picked up into a staff, as a gift. Something to do with helping her achieve her potential so she can help me achieve mine."

"Even gifts from them should be treated with caution," Merlin warned him, "They are Children of Oberon. Extremely capricious creatures, every one of them, their moods and motives are far beyond human understanding much like their magic. You don't even know what effect that staff will have on Claire, and you just…"

"Can you guys stop talking about me as if I weren't here?" Claire said indignantly, "I was the one who took the staff from these "Weird Sisters" of yours. I was the one who decided to use it. It was my choice, and honestly I feel fine. In fact I feel better than I ever had in my entire life, and this staff feels much more friendly than the Shadow Staff ever did."

"Be that as it may…" Merlin began before Blinky interrupted, "Merlin, enough. The lady Claire knows her own mind. I'm sure that if anything feels off, if the staff gets to feeling like it's too much for her to handle, then she'll let us know (or at least she'll tell Jim.)"

"Well, I suppose," Merlin conceded, sounding somewhat mollified.

"Now then, what was this about information you say the Weird Sisters gave you?' Blinky asked them.

"Okay, so apparently there's someone here in Manhattan who can make Jim human again!" Claire answered him.

"By the stars, are you serious?" Blinky asked in astonishment.

"You finally become a worthy warrior, one who was able to defeat the might Gunmar, and now you're just gonna give that power up?" Nomura asked in indignant disbelief.

"But there's only so much I can do for you guys like this," Jim told her, "If we were attacked during the day I'd be stuck in the shadows with you guys, which would leave us at a real disadvantage if they weren't similarly restricted (now I wish I'd gotten that 'ability to walk in daylight' power stone from Vendel before….you know.) Besides, what those ladies said was that he'd 'give me back a bit of what I'd lost.' By a 'bit' I assume that he won't be turning me completely human. Maybe he'll just confine may half-troll transformation to my amulet or even specifically to the Eclipse Armor itself, allowing me to draw upon its power only when I need it most. Maybe he'll only make it so I can walk around in the day without having to put on two-million SPF sunscreen. I won't know exactly what until we speak with him."

"And just who is this person who's supposed to be able to accomplish this?" Merlin asked them.

"You know, I don't think I want to answer that question," Jim responded in a low tone.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Merlin asked, matching Jim's tone.

"What I mean is that I think you like having your pet Trollhunter at your beck and call 24/7," Jim answered somewhat waspishly, "Back when I was human I had some semblance of a normal life in-between the periods of fighting for my life and the lives of others & the training to do the same. Now I don't even have that."

"It's not like you didn't know what was going to happen," Merlin retorted in a hard tone, "I handed you the potion, told you what would happen if you chose to use it, but you still made that choice on your own."

"You could have warned me about the sun, but you're right on how I made that choice in order to save my family and friends, my home," Jim replied, "Now, however, I have a new choice, a possibility to take back a bit of the life I gave up for the world. Honestly I would like it if he can make me human again, but even if the best he can do is make it so I can take off the armor when I'm not fighting for my life and the ones I love then this trip will still be worth it."

Merlin opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word Claire said, "Honestly, Merlin, it is Jim's choice to make. I'll be going with him to make sure that he's not tricked into some Faustian deal, and in case he needs a quick escape or someone to watch his back, but it's his life: only he can decide what to do with it."

Merlin took in an angry-sounding breath through his nose before huffing, "Fine! Go do what you want, just don't say I didn't try to warn you."

"Fine!" Jim huffed right back as he accepted a hoodie Claire handed him from her bag of holding. Merlin watched as Jim followed Claire over to the big door at the front of the building. After a couple of failed attempts to open it, Jim then thrust his sword through the middle of it near the bottom and Merlin heard a metallic clattering afterwards: likely the locking mechanism that was keeping it closed. Claire then opened it cautiously while Jim stood to the side of it until Claire announced, "It's clear now. Looks like the sun had set a few minutes ago."

Jim returned the sword to his back and threw the hoodie on to cover both it and his head as he nodded and said, "Let's go."

Jim and Claire started to step outside when Blinky called out, "Wait! I think I'd like to come with you, to see this 'New York City'."

The kids looked rather uneasily at each other before Claire said, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Blinky. New York can be rather rough for the humans who live here, and honestly there's far too many people out at any hour to be fooled by a sheet thrown over you. As tough as New Yorkers are I just don't think that they're ready for the existence of trolls, so I think that's better if you say here and keep the others from getting into trouble."

Blinky looked somewhat let down, but he picked his chin up and thrust his chest out as he said, "In that case, lady Claire, I shall await your return!"

Jim nodded and said, "Stay safe, everyone. Hopefully we'll be back soon."

After the kids had walked out of sight, Blinky turned back to Merlin and asked, "You're not going with them?"

"I can't keep protecting the boy from himself," Merlin answered matter-of-factly, "He'll just have to learn this lesson on his own."

"And what about the lady Claire? You seemed to express a great deal of concern for her earlier," Blinky asked him. When Merlin didn't respond Blinky continued, "At the very least I would have expected that you'd express some curiosity as to who it was that your Weird Sisters were saying could undo the spell you claimed was permanent."

"Actually I already have a suspicion as to who it is," Merlin admitted.

"Do you now?" Blinky asked him, "You sure seem to know quite a deal about these beings."

"You ever hear the human saying 'It takes one to know one'?" Merlin replied, "The fact is that nobody knows you better than family."

* * *

"Well," Jim remarked, feeling rather gobsmacked at what he saw, "I guess that New York is a bit more progressive than I thought it was."

"Yeah," Clare agreed, sounding just as flabbergasted, "Certainly looks that way."

Standing at the edge of the industrial district, Jim and Claire watched the people of New York walking along the sidewalks as the cars driving the streets began to turn on their headlights. Because of the hour growing late there was fewer people walking about than Jim had ever seen in movies and tv shows that depicted this place. Maybe it was because of the lower crush of people, or perhaps it was because he became sensitive to such things ever since he first discovered his amulet, but he and Claire saw more than a few rather surprising residents that left them both speechless. They saw a man whose head looked like it was literally on fire, a young woman with wings for arms, a guy dressed in studded leather with a mohawk, a nose ring, and a third eye in the middle of his forehead, there was even a centaur trotting amongst the crowd. No matter where they looked it seemed they were able to spot at least one person who didn't look quite human.

"I never heard anything about this on the news or anything," Jim commented to her, "You?"

"Can't say I have, but then again we've been kinda distracted the last year, our hands full dealing with keeping Gunmar and Morgana from destroying our home and the rest of the world," Claire responded. Jim could certainly understand where she was coming from. It had been hard enough trying to catch up with school after finally escaping from the Darklands with the help of his friends, trying to head off Gunmar's plans to conquer the surface world didn't help matters either. It seemed that during those months the rest of the world outside Arcadia didn't exist, or at least wasn't any different that what they read about in social studies, so seeing creatures straight out of myth and legends walking around in this place that was definitely not Arcadia certainly was a shock.

"Yeah, I get that," Jim agreed with her, shaking his head in an attempt to make what he was seeing make sense, "but where did they all come from?"

"You kids must be new around here," a grizzled old man called out from a roadside newsstand.

Shocked into silence from a moment by a stranger addressing them, Claire recovered quickly as she headed the guy's direction, tugging Jim along by their linked arms, and she responded, "Yeah, I always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, so we came here from California on our graduation trip."

The newsstand owner whistled as he said, "That's quite some trip, dear! I didn't even know there was any folk out that way."

Feeling rather defensive towards Claire, Jim couldn't help letting out a low growl as he grit his teeth and said, "Just what do you mean 'you folks'?"

The old man let out a wheezing laugh as he said, "Relax, son! Didn' mean anythin' by it. Just hadn't heard of any New Olympians settling anywhere besides Jersey and here in New York."

" 'New Olympians'?" Claire asked for confirmation, sounding just as confused as Jim felt.

"Cheese and crackers, kid! Don't you guys read the news?" the man asked in disbelief.

Jim and Claire looked at each other for a moment before Claire explained, "We've been kinda busy the last few weeks with finals and all."

"Yeah, exactly," Jim agreed, "It was a rough fight, I wasn't sure that we'd survive it, but regardless here we are."

"You mean that you didn't know that you'd survive it," Claire retorted with a smile and a playful elbow to his ribs.

"Well we can't all be valedictorians or honor students, can we?" Jim replied with his own toothy grin. Jim heard the stand owner chuckle along with the two of them, then he cleared his throat and asked the guy, "So what's this I hear about these 'New Olympians'?"

"I'm talking about our fantastic visitors from New Olympus over yonder," the old man answered him with a jut of his chin down the road. Jim and Claire looked in the direction he indicated and their mouths fell open. In the distance, in the middle of the Hudson where it met the sea, was the grandest, most extravagant city they had ever seen. Looking like something from one of the more recent Final Fantasy games than anything in real life, its glittering spires rivaled New York's in size and surpassed them in beauty. It was hard to make out much in the way of details at this distance, but looking through the camera zoom function of Claire's phone Jim thought he spotted some sort of flying vehicles zooming around them.

"it's beautiful," Claire remarked.

"Indeed it is, dear," the stand owner agreed, "Course it caused quite a stir a few weeks ago when it showed up a few weeks ago out of nowhere, though that was nothing compared to the commotion caused when its representatives arrived at the UN almost immediately afterwards with a request to be recognized as an independent country."

"Really now?" Jim asked him.

"Mm-hmm," the stand owner replied, "Things got tense there for a little while. Might have ended badly too had that queen lady not shown up when she did. Cooled their tempers down real quick, quite literally too, with a little snowstorm right there in the UN building."

"Snow? Indoors?" Claire asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, conjured up a living snowman too," the guy continued, "Anyway she got them to not just talk to each other but to listen too, made them realize that the myths we're familiar with and the history they know may simply be distorted by each side's own point of view. What was her name again? Emma? Elisa? Well it was thanks to her that the talks were settled peacefully and New Olympus was accepted into the UN. Of course trade negotiations are still going on, I guess that they want to make sure that we won't do something stupid with it like start World War III, but at least they're still keeping those talks polite and civil."

"That's good to hear," Jim said. Then, remembering why they were there he asked, "Anyway we would like to see some things while we're here. Would you possibly know where we can find the tallest building in New York?"

"That would be the Erie Building, about five or six miles thataway," The stand owner answered as he pointed towards the heart of town. Looking where the man pointed Jim saw an impossibly tall skyscraper whose top was obscured by the clouds.

"Is…is that a castle at the top of it?" Claire asked the old man. Leaning over to look at her phone that she was aiming it at Jim saw that the silhouette of the skyscraper's top did indeed look like a castle.

"That it is, miss," the stand owner answered her, "I'll tell you, that David Xanatos is a bit of an odd duck, but if it weren't for him…"

The rest of what the guy was going to say was lost as the air was shattered by a shrill scream. As the crowd around them froze for a moment in shock Jim said softly to Claire, "At least that part of this town is familiar." He then turned and sprinted towards where he heard the scream, Claire following right behind, as Jim called out to the old man, "Thanks for the information, mister. See you later!" Jim and Claire than started weaving their way through the crowd, which was starting to stir in confused agitation, as Jim began to strip off the hoodie.

* * *

In a trash-littered alleyway a group of black-hooded figures have surrounded a young couple. One, a young man with light-brown hair struggles to free himself from the two hoods that are physically restraining him. The other, a red-headed young woman with snake-like eyes and a scarlet scaly tail from the waist down, is lying on the ground as she holds her swollen cheek and sobs.

"No! Selena!" the young man cries out desperately as he continues to struggle against the two holding him down, "Stop it, you bastards! Don't hurt her!"

"Ugh! If there's one thing I hate worse than a freak it's a freak-lover," the one facing the young woman said in a disgusted tone as he hefted his sledgehammer. Holding tight to a grip just below its head, electricity begins to crackle along the face of the weapon as the man raises it over his head and says, "Hold him still, guys. Once we've finished off the freak we can teach this blood-traitor a lesson."

"No! Don't! Please!" the young woman pleaded tearfully, but her entreaties fell on deaf ears there was no sign of hesitation, no evidence of any inclination towards mercy as he tensed his body and swung the hammer down hard...

CLAANNNGG! The robed figure's eyes went wide, as did those of his companions and would-be victims, as his blow was blocked by the largest blade he'd ever seen, outside of an anime that is. Following its edge to its wielder, the thug saw a face that would likely haunt his dreams for the rest of his life as Jim, not even trying to disguise his anger, snarled in his face, "Just who are you to be calling anyone a freak?"

The young woman gasped in recognition as she exclaimed, "Trollhunter!"

"Did you at least get your mother's permission before you used her best sheets to make your clothes?" Jim continues, keeping his focus on the opponents before him.

The hooded thug before him narrowed his eyes as he called out, "It's another one! Get him!"

Out of the corner of his eye Jim saw two of the hoodlums that weren't folding the boyfriend down activate their electric sledgehammers and advance on his position. However it took only the slightest effort to drive the weapon of the one he engaged first up and away from himself and the girl, creating an opening where he was able to clock the bully with an armor-clad elbow before bringing the sword to deflect the attacks of the other two thugs. After that it became a graceful yet deadly ballet, a single sword dancing with a trio of hammers, and the ringing of metal against metal was the music that they danced to. However, to call his attackers "graceful" was generous at best. It was clear that these people were not warriors, that they relied heavily on high-tech weapons and superior numbers in their conflicts. In fact…

With one huge swing of his sword Jim sliced the heads off all three of the attackers' electric sledgehammers at once as he said, "That all you got? I've battled goblins who are better fighters than you lot."

One of the men (Jim felt sure they were all men) scrambling backwards cried out, "Will somebody fry this freak!?"

The two hoods who were struggling with the boyfriend then shoved him roughly in a corner behind them before turning back to Jim and taking hold of what looked like high-tech rifles that were slung behind their backs and aiming them at him. Not wanting to take the chance that they might actually be aiming at the girl instead, Jim took a knee and summoned up his shield, angling it to provide the young woman maximum protection just as the goons started firing. The impacts he felt certainly didn't feel like bullets or similarly propelled rounds, quite possibly some sort of experimental particle beam, but while the weapons were likely quite powerful they weren't a match for his magical armor. Still, every moment he was forced to play defense was a moment more that the others could use to regroup and overwhelm him, so he called out, "Claire?"

"On it!" he heard Claire respond, who'd portaled herself to the roof of one of the buildings neighboring the alley. A couple seconds later Jim no longer felt the blasts striking his shield because Claire had created a portal directly in front of him, with a second portal angled above and to the side of the gunners to send the shots back at them, forcing them to stop shooting and duck out of the way. Apparently the boyfriend took their distraction to be a prime opportunity as he kicked the legs out from one of the men and attempted to wrestle the rifle out of his hands, but the other man was having none of it and aimed his rifle at the boyfriend's unprotected back. Acting quickly, Jim summoned his boomerang-like throwing blades, using them to strike the weapon and throw off its aim before it could fire. A second later the boyfriend managed to disarm the first man and use the rifle to sweep the legs of the second man, striking him in the head with the rifle's butt as he fell.

"We need some backup over here!" One of the guys called out down the alley, where Jim saw a sliding door of a van open and a greater number of hooded figures armed with sledgehammers and rifles pour out of it. Before Jim could decide if he would be able to handle this many combatants without seriously hurting or killing any of them he saw the reinforcements stumble and fall through a portal that Claire had formed horizontal on the ground before them. Looking up Jim saw a second portal form high in the air and disgorge the men, where they fell screaming as they fell for a second before a third portal caught them only for them to reemerge from the second portal immediately after. Jim saw them repeat the falling loop about three more times, picking up more and more momentum with each repetition, until a fourth portal appeared vertically next to their friends and spat them out, causing the to crash together in a jumbled heap.

"And Mom said that videogames aren't educational," Claire said as she looked down to Jim with a huge smile on her face. As the group picked themselves up again Jim finally heard the telltale sounds of a police siren growing louder, at which point one of the men yelled, "It's the cops! Scatter!" As the men took off, not even bothering to pick up their fallen weapons, Claire portaled down to stand next to Jim, arriving just in time to see the last of them dive into their vehicles and take off. The boyfriend, using one of the broken sledgehammer handles as a make-shift cane, hobbled over to his girlfriend stand up, or rather get her upper torso upright while her tail coiled under her to support her, at which she said gratefully, "Thanks Mike, and thank you Trollhunter for saving us."

"You know who I am?" Jim asked her in surprise.

"Of course," the snake woman (snake-lady?) replied, "All of New Olympus knows of you and your predecessors. Your taking up the medallion in order to defend us non-humans was one of the main reasons why we have decided to reveal ourselves to the world now, with a human detective personally saving everyone in New Olympus being the other major one."

"Umm, thanks?" Jim said tentatively, unsure about how to take this. Fortunately he was spared giving a more concise response when the source of the sirens arrived at the end of the alley. To his surprise what he saw was not a black and white like most police drive but rather a beautiful classic red car with a white top, atop of which was a removable domed red light that spun around. Jim reasoned that would make this an "unmarked" police car, but he'd always associated those as rather plain cars used by detectives who either were undercover or on a stakeout in order to not draw attention to themselves, whereas this car practically screamed "look at me!"

The car's driver looked not quite as extravagant as her vehicle, dressed in her red leather jacket and tight denim jeans complimenting each other, though she still didn't look like a cop to him. With her shoulder-length hair and dark complexion this woman looked more like some exotic beauty, though he wasn't able to determine what nationality her family came from. However, the moment she opened her mouth it became apparent that she herself at least was a native New Yorker as, racing around the front end of her car with her gun in hand she yelled, "Dammmit! They got away again!" Letting out her frustration in a huff she relaxed her guard a bit but still scanned the alley for any possible stragglers as she approached the young couple and asked, "Are you folks okay?"

"A few scrapes and bruises but otherwise we're fine, Detective. Thanks," The young woman answered her, and her boyfriend continued, "But I fear we probably wouldn't be if not for the timely intervention of those two."

"I see," the woman, who apparently was a plain clothes detective judging by the badge he now saw clipped to her belt (and, of course, by how the young woman he'd saved was addressing her), said as she glanced at them from the corner of her eye. Then, as the detective turned to face them, Jim felt grateful that she kept her gun (which she held onto) dangling by her side rather than pointing it at them, but her glare felt just as dangerous as the detective asked in a harsh tone, "Just what the hell do you kids think you are doing?"

Looking back Jim realized that he should have expected this reaction. After all, one of the main reasons they'd kept their Trollhunter activities from their parents, and the reason they'd initially lied and humiliated Jim's mom by making her look somewhat unstable (which Jim still felt terribly bad about) was because they were afraid that heir parents would get the authorities involved, who would surely interfere with their stopping Gunmar from conquering the surface world and killing or enslaving everyone they cared about.

Right now, however, caught flatfooted by this lady detective's withering glare, all Jim could think to say was, "Huh?"

"It's nice that young people such as yourselves want to get involved, but the Quarrymen are an extremely dangerous group," the detective scolded them, "They're not the type of people who would hold back just because you are kids. You could have gotten hurt or worse trying out your LARPing 'skills' on them, and then what would your parents say?"

" 'LARPing' again?" Claire groaned softly to Jim, though the space was small enough that the detective heard it too, "I'm beginning to wish that I never came up with that excuse."

"Yeah, Mom didn't exactly appreciate it either," Jim agreed.

"Excuse me, miss detective, but we're not actually LARPers," Clare called out to her, "We do this kind of thing all the time back home in Arcadia Oaks."

"Exactly. These monkeys with hammers are nothing compared to those we fought and beat before," Jim added.

"Look, I know that you probably mean well, but situations like these are meant to be handled by those of us who are trained for it," the detective reasoned, "You should have just called 911, or asked someone else to do so if you didn't have your phones, and let us take care of it instead of risking your necks by taking matters into your own hands."

"I'm sorry, detective, but I can't do that," Jim responded in a calm but firm tone as he placed his hand over his medallion, "I swore an oath, so I'm not about to sit around twiddling my thumbs while someone needs help."

"It's true, detective," the young woman told her, "I realize it may be hard to not judge them by their ages, but they have a sacred duty to protect and defend, just like you."

The detective sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose before saying, "Well, I suppose that I should at least thank you for keeping matters from getting worse before I got here."

"Like the young lady said, just part of the job," Jim responded with a shrug.

"I can understand that," the detective said with a smile.

'My name is Jim Lake, this is my girlfriend Claire Nuñez," Jim introduced them, to which the detective took Jim's outstretched hand and said, "I'm Detective Elisa Maza, nice to meet you."


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting of Legends

**Meeting of Legends**

Jim waited patiently while Detective Maza took the statements of the young couple who were attacked by the thugs the detective called "Quarrymen". He had never heard of them before tonight, probably newly formed (maybe even in response to the New Olympian's appearance), but they certainly struck him like any other hate group he'd studied in school, maybe a bit better armed. Still, he could not understand someone hating something that is different to the extent of creating and maintaining a group just to spread such hateful messages and to act with violence against innocents who did nothing to deserve it. Just the thought of if made his own blood boil.

It troubled Jim just how quickly he rose to anger since his transformation. It was one of the reasons he ultimately decided to come following the information from the Weird Sisters, more than his aversion to the sun, more than his inability to remove his armor. It pretty much went hand-in-hand with his future, or possible lack thereof, with Claire. Mr Stricklander might have a point about the anger making him a better fighter, but it has a rather negative, even destructive, effect on relationships. While his mom never really wanted to talk about it, but the way she always skirted around the topic of his father made him imagine that was the reason they didn't stay together, why Jim was raised by his mother alone without so much as a birthday or Christmas card from him in the mail. Jim had once found a photo of his mother and father in his mom's things, just the one. No matter where he looked he didn't find any others, and Jim didn't believe that he came into this world as the result of a one-night stand. That told Jim that, whatever the cause was, the relationship between his mother and father had ended on a bad note and this one photograph was the only thing that had survived the purge of his father from his mom's life (along with Jim himself, of course).

This was supported by how his mom almost always called him "Jim" instead of "James", the exception being when she was very angry with him, and how she always reverted to calling "Jim" afterwards. Probably didn't want any reminders of her erstwhile husband, and yet she still ended up naming him James Lake Jr after him. Why? Were they still together when he was born? Had they separated by then but she had remained hopeful that what problems had caused them to part ways would get resolved and that they would get back together like nothing ever happened? All these years later and Jim was no closer to an answer than back when….

"Jim?" he heard Detective Maza call out to him, breaking into his musings, "Jim Lake?"

"Yes?" Jim sheepishly responded, embarrassed that he'd let his attention wander. Both Mr Strickler (If he were here) and Merlin would scold him something fierce if they'd found out that he'd let his guard drop like that.

"You seem somewhat out of it, are you all right?" Detective Maza asked him, "Did you need the paramedics to take a look at you too?"

"No, I'm fine. Just lost in thought," Jim admitted as he looked towards the street where the EMT's were loading the boyfriend into the back of the ambulance, and he noticed the girlfriend's tail peeking out until it curled in to allow them to close the doors, "What about them?"

"Their injuries were serious but apparently not life threatening," the detective explained, "The guy caught the worst of it. It seems that he managed to put up quite the fight before the Quarrymen were able to subdue him. Still, they were lucky you kids came along when you did."

"I'm just glad we were able to reach them in time," Jim responded as Claire squeezed the hand she was holding in silent agreement.

"So that young lady you saved called you a 'trollhunter'. So you, what, hunt trolls or something?" Detective Maza asked for clarification.

"Not exactly, anymore than you go actually hunting for men during one of your 'manhunts'," Claire corrected her for him.

"It's a title, much like 'police officer' or 'bounty hunter'," Jim explained, "While many trolls simply want to go about their daily lives there are some, like Gunmar or Angor Rot, who pose a threat to the safety of the surface world or even the trolls of Trollmarket. It is my duty to find those rogue elements, as well as goblins and other creatures who pose those dangers, and stop them by whatever means are necessary."

"I'm not sure that I care for the 'any means necessary' part," Detective Maza said warily.

"That's understandable," Jim told her, "but I have no intention or desire to use more force than necessary. In fact we were able to convert a few of our enemies into allies and friends. Doesn't seem quite enough to make up for the friends we lost though."

"Sorry to hear about that," Detective Maza said sympathetically before clearing her throat and, in an attempt to redirect the conversation, asked them, "So, trolls huh? Like the kind that is supposed to be living under bridges and whatnot?"

"Trolls don't actually live under bridges, miss detective," Claire answered her, though she stumbled a bit on the proper way to address her, "They might hang out under one if they happen to get caught out in the open when the sun rises, or they may hide the entrance to Trollmarket there for the extra protective shade it provides, but trolls prefer to live deep underground where the sun has no chance of reaching them."

"I see," the detective mused, "I've heard of trolls before, but I had thought that they were just stories about gargoyles told by people who didn't understand them well."

Jim wanted to ask her what she had meant about gargoyles, but before he could voice his thoughts he heard a powerful voice call out, "That's not exactly the case, Elisa." Looking up Jim's mouth fell open as he saw a powerfully built figure gliding down towards them. With his slate-gray complexion, claw-like fingers and toes, and horn-like protrusions at the hairline of his thick, long black hair, this newcomer at first looked to Jim like yet another troll (or perhaps a changeling like Mr Stricklander judging by his wings.) However, as he came in for a landing Jim saw that this guy's skin wasn't as porus or craggy as those of his friends that he'd left behind in the warehouse, looking more like actual flesh (like his own). Not to mention that the heel spurs on this guy's feet looked more suited to perching on high, narrow ledges than traversing underground passages.

"Goliath!' Detective Maza said in a tone that did little to hide her delight at this one's arrival even if she hadn't practically spelled it out for Jim by throwing her arms around the guy's neck and giving him a quick peck on the cheek as she said, "What brings you here? I was so busy that I hadn't had a chance to call you in."

"I was out on patrol when I saw you driving past down below," the one the detective called Goliath answered, and though he talked in a serious tone Jim saw that Goliath had a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth at the warmness of the detective's greeting, "Judging by how fast you were driving and the fact you had your lights going I figured there was trouble so I followed you to see if I could help. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to keep up with your vehicle's speed."

"I almost wish you had. The Quarrymen were here using some kid and his lamia girlfriend as punching bags. Unfortunately they must have heard me coming and managed to get away before I got here," Detective Maza told Goliath regretfully.

"Yes, it seems as though the Quarrymen have been making their presence increasingly felt around town since New Olympus' arrival made it so that my clan and Talon's were no longer the only 'monsters' residing here," Goliath agreed in a tone that almost sounded like a growl.

"Yeah. Fortunately these two were here to stop the Quarrymen from hurting those kids worse than they had been," Detective Maza told Goliath as she gestured towards Jim and Claire.

"I see," Goliath said thoughtfully, locking his gaze with Jim's as he gave a small respectful bow and continued, "From your garb I take it you are the Trollhunter. On behalf of my clan I humbly welcome you to our protectorate."

"Goliath, you know of this guy already?" the detective asked him in surprise.

"yes, though only of the mantle he and his predecessors wears, and only through legends," Goliath explained, "My clan, as well as the few other clans ours had contact with, took up tales of those who took up the armor and blade of the Trollhunter, of their acts of bravery and noble quests, and told them to our own hatchlings to inspire them in their future duties of defending our protectorate and those who lived within."

"That sounds nice," Elsa commented, to which Goliath nodded but continued in a grim tone, "But unfortunately it had been a long time since anyone, human or gargoyle, had positively identified a troll, the last time being the Battle of Killahead, where those who were allied with Merlin fought and defeated a faction who wanted to conquer the surface world for troll-kind, having taken place a few centuries before I entered this world. As a result we began to fear that the legend of the Trollhunter was just that, a legend, and that trolls themselves were all but extinct."

"You're probably not far off," Jim confirmed, a twinge of regret reverberating through him, "Don't know if there are any other trolls around other than the ones that came with me from California, but we lost a good number of them when Gunmar took over Trollmarket and used his sword to corrupt their essence, forcibly converting them into his Gumm-Gumm army. We managed to save some of them, mostly through Claire risking her life, it just doesn't feel like it was enough. Though some of those were lost after Morgana was freed and she destroyed them to cast her spell of Eternal Night, the rest died after I finally managed to defeat Gunmar. Without his foul magic there was nothing left to hold them together and they literally fell apart. As far as I know my friends are the last of their kind."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Elsa told Jim sympathetically, to which he replied, "Thanks."

Claire ,apparently picking up on Jim's discomfort, cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject by asking, "So, Mr Goliath, you were saying that there are differences between trolls and...whatever you are?"

"Yes," Goliath confirmed, "I am a gargoyle, and while we share a number of characteristics with trolls, the differences between us are rather significant. At night my clan and I become flesh and blood, and while we may be powerful and even rather tough we're still susceptible to injury like any mortal being including humans. When dawn comes, however, we enter our stone hibernation no matter where we are, even if we're in a cave or building where the sun can't touch us, and we remain that way until the sun sets again. Now while most injuries we may sustain are healed while we sleep, the unfortunate fact is that we are most vulnerable at that time as well. While the sun is out we are as immobile as the statues we resemble, unable to even see our attackers, and should someone manage to smash we will die as rubble on the ground."

"Trolls, by contrast have flesh that's more the consistency of stone," Goliath continued, "While that does make them more resilient to injury from conventional attacks it unfortunately make them more vulnerable to the same stone-smashing attacks that threaten us during the day, and it's not as easy for them to heal. In fact I don't know if they're able to heal such injuries at all, though I've heard that they are talented at crafting replacement limbs for the ones they lose which work just as well as the originals."

"Yeah, that's true," Jim confirmed morosely, remembering how his late friend Draal had his arm replaced with a metal one after it was lost protecting him.

Goliath set his jaw and nodded, obviously understanding the loss Jim felt, before he resumed, "What's more is that trolls, unlike gargoyles, are able to remain active during the daytime, though they are more restricted in that they have to remain out of the sunlight. Even the briefest of exposures turns whatever part of them touched by direct sunlight to unliving stone. Should they themselves be changed then they would be, for all intents and purposes, dead. I know of no way for them to recover."

"Wow, I had no idea," Detective Maza commented, "And here I thought you gargoyles had it rough."

"Indeed" Goliath agreed, "Even though our stone sleep can be inconvenient, even troubling should we not find a safe place to roost before dawn, at least we can reawaken should we remain unharmed until the day's end. That's something I wish we could share with our troll brothers. Which reminds me: I had recognized your armor as belonging to the legendary Trollhunter, but your flesh looks too soft to be that of a troll."

"I had noticed that too," Detective Maza agreed, "I mean I didn't know the difference before you explained it, Goliath, (or that trolls existed for that matter), but when I first saw him I thought he might be a gargoyle except there's no place on his armor for his wings to come out."

"Detective Maza…" Claire started to say before the detective raised her palm and gently said, "Please, call me Elisa."

Claire smiled and nodded as she restarted, "Elisa, the fact is that Jim here is only half-troll. Until recently he was fully human."

"You said he was human?" Elisa asked in surprise, and Jim thought he heard an edge to her voice that sounded almost angry, "What happened? How'd he end up like this."

"It was a potion crafted by the wizard Merlin," Jim explained, "When the Staff of Avalon was stolen by Gunmar and it seemed certain that Morgana was going to be freed, it appeared as though I would need an edge in order to defeat them. That's when Merlin made me this potion, explaining that it would turn me into what you see before you now. He also said that if I chose to use it the changes would be permanent."

"Wait, Merlin? _The_ Merlin?" Elisa asked him in confusion, the edge in her voice getting harder, " _He_ did this to you!?"

"He made the potion, yes, but the choice was mine to immerse myself in it or not," Jim clarified for her, mystified as to why the detective would be getting worked up about it, "I weighed it against choosing to go against Gunmar, Morgana, and the entire Gumm-Gumm army with just my friends and my amulet. In the end I decided to take no chances with the safety of my mom and my friends, to go with my best chance to stop Morgana from destroying the world: I used the potion."

"But…" Elisa started to ask, but she was interrupted by Goliath gently placing a hand on her shoulder and saying, "It's okay, Elisa. It doesn't exactly seem like what happened with your brother Derek. This young man was offered an informed choice, he carefully weighed both options, and he ultimately chose this to protect those he cares for. In his position I would have done the same."

"Well it was really nice to meet you two," Claire told Elisa and Goliath in her most polite meet-and-greet voice, "We'd like to stay and get to know you guys better, but Jim and I have to get to the Erie Building before it gets to be much later, and hopefully return to our friends before dawn."

Goliath and Elisa gave each other an odd look before Goliath returned his gaze to them and asked, "What business do you have there tonight?"

"Well, since his transformation Jim lost the ability to do certain things that made him an effective Trollhunter. He's unable to even power down the amulet and remove his armor," Claire explained, "These three old ladies, the Weird Sisters I believe Merlin called them, told us that there's someone there named Burnett who can give him some help with that."

"The Weird Sisters!?" Goliath exclaimed in surprise.

"But why would they send these kids to Owen?" Elisa asked Goliath, just as dumbfounded.

"You sound as though you know them," Jim remarked aloud.

"We've had a few not so pleasant encounters, and even more time where we've had to deal with their mechanisms and schemes Let's just say that they're not the first ones I'd turn to for help with something, maybe not even the last ones for that matter."

"What about this Owen Burnett guy?" Jim asked, not willing to let go of this one hope that easily.

"That's the part that baffles me: Why would those three send you to him rather than offer to 'help' you themselves?" Goliath asked them.

"They said something about their patriarch forbidding them to interfere directly or something," Claire explained.

"Oberon," Elisa said to Goliath in realization, "He must have leaned extra hard on them after you guys stopped him from taking Alexander, taking out his humiliation on them instead."

"Even though we weren't the ones who stopped him: We only slowed him down, it was his wife's daughter who stopped him," Goliath countered with a smile and a nod, then he turned to Jim again and said, "Owen Burnett is more trustworthy than the Weird Sisters, and under normal circumstances I would say that he could probably help you. However, I'm afraid that he may not be in the best position to do so right now."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Some time ago some friends of ours came to him for help but something went wrong," Elisa explained, "It wasn't his fault but he blames himself all the same. I'm afraid that between that and his inability to stop the Quarrymen from kidnapping little Alexander his confidence has been shaken perhaps even his ability to recover."

"They kidnapped a kid?" Jim asked, his blood starting to rise again until he felt Claire

place a hand on his shoulder, calming him down again.

"They had, and in exchange they wanted a gargoyle to turn themselves over to them," Elisa confirmed, "Fortunately we were able to figure out that Mayoral candidate Doyle was behind the kidnapping, and that he was stupid enough to hide Alexander in his own campaign headquarters."

"It's guys like that who give politicians a bad name," Claire commented, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed, "Suddenly my mom's fundraising barbecues with her soy dogs don't seem so bad."

"Your mom was in politics?" Elisa asked her.

"Yeah, she was on Arcadia Oaks' City Council and was up for re-election when Gunmar and Morganna attacked," Claire confirmed, "Anyway we'd like to ask this Owen guy if he'll help if that's al right. I understand he may turn us down, but we've come too far to leave without even asking."

"Well, as we said he may not be willing to help, but I see no harm in asking," Goliath told them.

"If you'd like I can give you kids a ride there," Elisa offered.

Jim looked over at the red sports care the detective was gesturing to. For a moment he wondered what it'd feel like to sink into those leather seats before he remembered that he wouldn't feel much while stuck in this armor. Then he looked up towards the rooftops, an idea striking him as he said, "Actually I think I'd like to get us there another way, that is if you think you're up for it Claire."

"I think I know what you have in mind, and that will be fine," Claire told him with a smile, "Fun, a good workout after those weaksauce thugs."

Jim smiled back at her, presenting his back to her as he said, "Then climb on and hold tight." Jim felt as Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, the smell of her hair making his heart race. Then he leapt at the wall, the brick and mortar making a satisfying crunch as the claws of his fingers and toes dug in and he began to climb. Moments later he heard the crunches echoed, and Jim looked down and saw Goliath climbing the wall as well.

"You know, I could just portal us up there, save some time," Jim heard Claire tell him, her breath tickling his ear.

"Yeah, but how often do we get a chance to do something like this?" Jim said to her and he felt her arms tighten into an embrace.

Once they reached the roof Jim felt Claire unwrap herself from him. Then once she took her staff from her back he scooped her up in his arms as Goliath crested the roof's edge, asking, "So how were you planning to get there? As Elisa observed you don't have any wings, and I can't glide while carrying both of you. And while some of the stories we told about the Trollhunters got a bit fantastical, nothing in the tales indicated that you could fly."

"Who said anything about flying?" Jim asked Goliath with a smirk. Then, when he felt Claire give him a squeeze with the arm wrapped around the back of his neck, Jim looked down into Claire's own smiling eyes as she nodded. Gripping her tightly Jim then raced to the edge of the roof and gave a mighty leap which had him clearing the alley and landing on the roof on the other side without breaking his stride. The next few buildings were traversed easily enough by vaulting over what obstacles they encountered and short (at least for him) hops when the next building over was a story or two taller than the one he was on.

When he got to what apparently was the end of the block, however, it became obvious he wouldn't be easily going on by his skill alone: before him was a huge 6-lane road, and unlike the 4+central turn lane road that they'd come out on after exiting the industrial district this thoroughfare was still quite busy with traffic. Even at the height he was he wouldn't be able to get clear across it, and while he was not concerned about getting hurt himself by the collision the same could not be said about those within the vehicle or (more importantly) Claire. However, Jim had already taken this into account before going into this run. As he took the leap Jim saw one of Claire's portals form in his path, and as he passed through it he found himself atop a building on the other side. Looking back he saw Goliath, who had been following them through the air, stall in mid-flight. He couldn't hear the gargoyle very clearly over the commotion of the crowd and the traffic, but regardless Jim heard the surprise in his voice as Goliath said something about jalapenos.

Feeling the same rush of exhilaration mixed with something undefinable that he felt during that impromptu game of tag he'd engaged in with Claire on the other side of the country earlier today, Jim grinned hugely as he spun back around and resumed his madcap dash in the direction of Erie Building. The rest of the trip went mostly the same: Leaping and parkouring his way when he could (which, considering that he only had one hand free due to his still carrying Claire, was rather impressive), lunging through portals when the next rooftop proved too high or to far for him to reach through his athletic skills which were enhanced by his transformation. Still he chose a route that let him rely more on his own skills and would require Claire to create as few portals as possible. Even though this staff was supposed to be powered by light magic rather than dark magic Jim still felt compelled to not take any chances with Claire's safety. Besides, operating that staff had to be no small feat, and Jim felt she should save as much of her strength for the end when she will most likely need it.

At one point they passed a couple heading the opposite direction (who, judging by their body structure, appeared to be gargoyles like Goliath) who looked rather surprised by Jim's sudden appearance. In fact one of them, the skinnier female, looked as though she could very well be either Goliath's sister or his daughter. However, Jim had no time to decide if he wanted to indulge in his curiosity (even if he had the time to indulge in it) as he was soon plunging though yet another portal to end up on another distant rooftop.

Finally, after what seemed like the majority of a grand marathon had been run, James and Claire marveled at the grand majesty of the Erie Building before them. Though the rooftop they were on put them very high up (that is very, VERY high!) their destination towered above them even still. The top of the building was still obscured in clouds, but since they were much closer to it now than when they had first arrived in New York they could see that it was indeed a rather old-timey castle nestled atop a surprisingly beautiful example of modern architecture. It was hard to accurately judge elevations from this perspective, especially since looking down threatened to give him a bad case of vertigo, but if Jim were to guess he would say that they were about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up towards reaching their goal at the top. Looking back Jim was sure that he could see a few specks growing closer, one of which he was sure he recognized to be Goliath, possibly that gargoyle couple was among them too, but it would still take them a while to get here.

"So what do you think, Claire?" Jim asked Claire as he turned back to her, "Up or down?" Of course Jim realized that both had their risks. On one hand, while they were closer to the top than the bottom, there was nothing between them and Erie Building's summit. That meant that they would be entirely reliant on what momentum Jim can get in this last jump and the exertion of gravity on them as well as Claire's clever use of her portals, and if Claire should tire out before they reached the top they would have a long way down. On the other hand getting down would be easier as gravity would do most of the work. Of course they would still have to use Claire's portals, mostly to counteract the momentum and ensure that they didn't splat on the ground or against the wall should the last portal Claire opens be vertical rather than horizontal. The plus side of this idea is that a building like this would likely have an elevator, and it might even reach all the way to the castle on top (or at least close enough for him to climb with Claire the rest of the way.) The downside was that a place like this would likely also have security, and there's no telling if they would let them through.

All this likely occurred to Claire too, and since she was so much smarter than him she probably already weighed the risks and chances of success of both options. Still she smiled and turned her head to look him in the eyes as she said, "Well, we're nearly there….I vote up."

"Then hang on tight," Jim told her as he tightened his grip on her. Then, after backing up a few steps, Jim raced towards the edge of the building and leapt off into the void between. As gravity began to reassert itself and his leap began to turn downward Claire opened a portal before them and Jim found himself flying upwards again from an even higher point than before, the process repeating itself a few times. It was very disorienting, worse than any rollercoaster he'd been on, almost as bad as the Gyrosphere, and his stomach didn't like it. If this had been the old days he would have lost his lunch after the third arc. Thankfully, for both his dignity and preserving his relationship with Claire (who, unfortunately, would have been in the firing line) his stomach, like the rest of him, was made of tougher stuff these days.

Eventually, around the time his stomach got used to the motions, they broke through the layer of clouds and Jim got his first clear look at the castle. It was old, certainly, and from what Jim could tell seemed of Scottish design, making its contrast with the building it sat atop even more remarked. In the grassy courtyard (Astroturf?) Jim thought he spotted a greenish gargoyle, whose wings seemed to extend out from the sides of his body and attached to the tops of his legs and underside of his arms, who was staring up at them while holding a human baby. However, Jim's attention was soon diverted as the stones of the circular parts at the corners of the outer wall retracted and some rather modern & high tech cannons emerged and took aim at them while an automated voice called out, "Attention unidentified aircraft! You are in violation of the airspace of Xanatos Enterprises. You have 5 seconds to identify yourself or withdraw before this system opens fire."

Jim wasn't sure what kind of ammunition those weapons used, or if his armor or the Eclipse Sword would provide adequate protection against it, but with Claire here with him he didn't want to wait around to find out. "Claire?" Jim called out, his voice tense.

"On it!" Claire responded as she formed a portal before them that deposited them onto the castle's courtyard next to the smallish gargoyle who looked shocked at their appearance. Looking back up at the ramparts Jim saw the cannons swivel back and forth as the mechanical voice called out, "Targets lost….searching….searching…" Then, all of a sudden, the cannons stopped moving and began to retract as the voice announced, "Manual override accepted, standing down from alert."

"Sorry about that, but Ms. Maza just called a bit ago to announce you were coming and I hadn't had the chance before you got here to adjust the system," Jim heard a male voice say from behind him, and he turned around to see a dapper man with a well-kept beard emerge from the keep along with an elegant red-haired woman with a curious bluish-green tattoo over her right eye, "Sorry if we frightened you, but the Quarrymen have been extra worked up since residents of New Olympus were granted work visas and immigration rights by the UN, and since they know Goliath's clan resides here I can't afford to take any chances with my family's safety. You are Jim Lake and Claire Nuñez, correct?" When Jim managed a nod the man continued, "My name is David Xanatos, this is my wife Fox and there by you is Lexington with our son Alexander. On behalf of my family and friends I would like to welcome you to our humble abode."


End file.
